Wakefield students compete annually in the North Carolina Science Olympiad, which was held this year at Southeast Raleigh High School. It’s a competitive competition with different events ranging from Duct Tape Challenge to Forensics. Students have been preparing for months for the competition which took place on Saturday, Feb. 2.

“We are given topics at the beginning of the year and we study those topics and write notes until the competition in February,” junior Sky Ashforth said. “We get to compete with other schools based on the knowledge we gained.”

Wakefield has two separate teams due to the number of students who want to participate. They are separated into Varsity and Junior Varsity; upperclassmen and students with experience are placed on Varsity, while underclassmen and first-year competitors are placed on JV.

“I’m on Varsity this year, last year I was on JV,” Ashforth said.

Science Olympiad is a great opportunity to get students using skills they have learned in the classroom. Chem Lab and Anatomy and Physiology are two events that use the knowledge learned specifically in classes here at Wakefield.

“It makes them think of the science in a new way,” advisor Laura Stiles said. “It gives them an application of some of what they learn in classes and gives them a chance to go beyond what they learn in classes.”

Returning members set goals for themselves and have been able to acknowledge things they can improve on. Last year, junior Caitlin Raftery placed third in the event Disease Detectives.

“We’re going for second or first place this time,” Raftery said.

Science Olympiad isn’t as demanding as other after-school activities. All of the preparation for the competition takes place entirely on students’ own time, at their own pace.

“You go on the Science Olympiad website and it basically outlines for you what you need to know for the competition,” Raftery said. “The rest is up to you to learn and prepare.”

This year was Wakefield’s best year at Science Olympiad yet. The Varsity and JV teams combined took home 14 medals, including a first place in Designer Genes by Ashforth and Raftery.

If you are interested in Science Olympiad, members encourage you to join next year. It is a fun way to meet new people and spend time learning with peers and friends.

“Try it,” Stiles said. “I mean really, it’s a place where you can learn and hang out with people who are like-minded and enthusiastic about science.”